Forbidden Flower: This Chinese drama is a unique category, because it’s a rare one that starts out ordinarily, along with questionable acting by the male lead, but as the story progresses, his acting blossoms along with the character. In fact, the entire drama turns into an incredible one. The acting “raw and phenomenal acting,” and I’ve never seen a couple with unceasing passion throughout an entire drama. Unexpectedly, the mother’s love line and character development become my favorite. At the end of episode 21, the acting by the second male lead is moving. The budget is clearly limited, and consequently there are jumps in timeline and logic, but once you overlook these, it’s all good. The soundtrack is extraordinary.

Peaktime: This is a Korean variety show where idol groups compete. Usually I stray away from variety shows, but this one is special. Many of the performances are breathtaking, and I take two hours to watch a one-hour episode because I’m re-watching many of the dances. The backstories of the idol groups and their struggles are genuine. Episode 3 is the best so far, because they gave the groups themes and, along with professional choreographers, many of them transformed and gave unexpected and awesome performances.